USA, MA & VT: Harpoon Brewery to expand

Harpoon Brewery has finalized $3.5 mln in financing with RBS Citizens to expand its brewery and visitor center in the Hub’s Seaport District, Bostonherald.com reported on April, 10.

The financing from RBS Citizens will allow Harpoon - which is based in Boston and Windsor, Vt. - to purchase and install new bottling and labelling machinery that will run at higher speeds and with greater efficiency, the brewery said. It also allows Harpoon to proceed with plans to renovate and expand its visitor center later this year, enabling more extensive tours of the facility through several catwalks throughout the brewery.

These enhancements will also include the construction of a new beer hall to host a larger number of visitors.

“We are passionate about brewing great beer and sharing it with fellow beer lovers who come to visit us. As we continue to grow, our relationship with RBS Citizens has enabled us to reach the next level of growth for our company,” said Harpoon’s CEO and co-founder Rich Doyle. “When we first opened our visitor center in 1987, we received a handful of visitors each week; today, more than 2,000 people come every week to see where their favorite craft beer is made. We’re excited to welcome visitors to our expanded facility while we increase our capacity to meet the growing demand for Harpoon beer.”

Since 2008, production at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston has jumped from 60,000 barrels a year to 120,000 barrels produced in 2011, the brewery said. An additional 55,000 barrels a year are produced at the company’s Windsor brewery, which is running at full capacity.

13 April, 2012